Revisiting the Natural Resource Curse: Backward Linkages for Export Diversification and Structural Economic Transformation

This article revisits and empirically tests the conjecture that specialization in natural resource industries (NRI) might not necessarily be a ‘curse’ for developing countries if it generates opportunities export diversification backward-linked sectors à la Hirschman. The systematizes evolution of debate around NRI ‘curse’. Then whether represent sufficient ‘domestic representative demand’ Linder to favour into such as knowledge-intensive business services high-tech manufacturing. It focuses on former discusses new led by virtuous pathways domestic structural change. finds novel, quantitative empirical support this conjecture, which complements extant qualitative literature implications revisit curse debate.